Saturday, July 29, 2017

Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Romance, JFK

Shailene Woodley is a Hollywood actress, climate advocate and board member of Our Revolution, a Bernie Sanders-affiliated advocacy group. She supports 100% renewable energy for the future with these words: Every person on this planet has one thing in common, the need for clean air and water. Right now, our nation is at a crossroads. Fossil fuel companies have pressured members of Congress into denying that climate change exists and is caused by human behavior.

These corporations think that Americans won’t notice when their water is polluted and their farm lands are covered in oil. Americans who care about clean air and water must come together now to support increasing our country’s use of renewable energy. Now is the time to create a just transition away from fossil fuel consumption to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. Oil, natural gas and coal are finite.

America is one of the most dynamic and inventive countries in the world. The reason we haven’t stopped climate change isn’t because we aren’t trying, it’s because a small subsection of the 1 percent are doing everything in their power to maintain the status quo. America has the technology, the workforce and the need to transition our energy grid away from fossil fuels to 100 percent sustainability as soon as possible. Renewable energy advocates in Congress are working to make that happen — Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sander (I-Vt.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) recently introduced S. 987, the “100 By ‘50 Act,” named for the goal of transitioning our nation to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Source: thehill.com

Here’s what our 35th president might have said about the challenges of energy transition and the opportunities in clean energy: “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” "Kennedy was able and willing to embrace industry and the environment at the same time," said Joshua Fershee, an associate professor at the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at West Virginia University. "The way he talked about things was unique, it was evolutionary." Early in his administration, President Kennedy was willing to take on multiple industries and make clear that the government would support and facilitate projects that were in the best interests of the country, not particular constituencies. President John. F. Kennedy, Feb. 23, 1961: “From the beginning of civilization, every nation’s basic wealth and progress has stemmed in large measure from its natural resources. This nation has been, and is now, especially fortunate in the blessings we have inherited. Our entire society rests upon—and is dependent upon—our water, our land, our forests, and our minerals. How we use these resources influences our health, security, economy, and well-being.” —"Atomic Power, Fossil Fuels, and the Environment: Lessons Learned and The Lasting Impact of the Kennedy Energy Policies" (2009) by Joshua P. Fershee

“Baby Driver” star Ansel Elgort has signed on to play John F. Kennedy in the drama “Mayday 109,” scripted by Samuel Franco & Evan Kilgore, based on the 1943 sinking of Kennedy’s PT boat during World War II. Kennedy was the commander of patrol torpedo boat PT 109 in the South Pacific when it was rammed by a Japanese destroyer Amagin, killing two crewmen. With the crew presumed dead by allies, Kennedy led the 11 survivors in swimming to a deserted island, where the crew had to hide from passing Japanese barges.

Kennedy swam over two miles to two other islands in search of help and food, then led his men to Olasana Island, which had coconut trees and drinkable water, before they were rescued. He and his shipmates engaged friendly locals and after scrawling an SOS on a coconut, they were finally located by rescuers. “We could not be more excited about Ansel coming aboard,” producer Basil Iwanyk said, per Deadline.

“Not only is he a tremendous actor, he embodies the charisma, athleticism and looks of a young JFK. We love that this is not a bio-pic nor a film about politics. This is simply a riveting and unbelievable tale that very few people know—about a young man who was a hero long before becoming the iconic 35th President of the United States. With Ansel, we’ve found our perfect JFK.” Source: variety.com

No one can play the 35th President and emerge fully unscathed. They either don’t look right or they overdo the accent or both. Elgort’s main advantage is that he’s matinee-idol handsome and slender like Kennedy, although he’s slightly disadvantaged by being too tall at 6′ 3″. Elgort would have made a note-perfect Han Solo — he’s got the slightly brash attitude, the smug assurance and the guy-ness. Han Solo movie directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord, not to mention producer Kathy Kennedy and the Disney brass, were dead blind not to see this. Instead they hired a 5′ 9″, beady-eyed Rabbinical student with a gloomy countenance (Alden Ehrenreich).

Ansel Elgort, who resembles the young Marlon Brando of the mid ’40s, is the anchor and owner of Baby Driver. Lily James is almost terrific as a heart-of-gold manic pixie waitress whom Baby falls for early on. The noirishly cool baddies are played with great flair by Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm (best thing he’s done since Mad Men), Jamie Foxx (a little too hostile and crazy), Jon Bernthal and Eiza González. However this strange-sounding Mayday 109 project turns out, Ansel Elgort is definitely a movie star in the wings.

After seeing The Fault In Our Stars three years ago I wrote that “Elgort’s charm and charisma has a lulling effect… I sat there saying to myself, this guy’s got it.” He has that X-factor quality, he just does, and one thing strongly in his favor is that he’s acquired a rep as a bit of a scamp. If you ask me, anyone who doesn’t play the game as ordered by the PC banshees is doing something right, and especially if they inspire Jezebel articles that seem to take exception to some of his interview comments. Source: www.hollywoodelsewhere.com

—Ansel Elgort on Shailene Woodley: Shailene is very different. I wouldn't use her as an example of what most women are like. She hates people pleasing. She wishes the world could be a place where we could be really honest and true to our emotions.

For a generation of young women, Ansel Elgort may always be Augustus Waters, the cancer-stricken heartthrob in the heartbreaking romance The Fault in Our Stars. Gus is basically Prince Charming with an iPhone. It turns out Elgort is a hopeless romantic too, often speaking as if he's been sprung from a Shakespearean sonnet. If he is so in touch with his emotions, perhaps that's because he graduated from Manhattan's LaGuardia High School Of Music & Art and Performing Arts, and spent his summers at Stagedoor Manor, the storied theater camp in the Catskills. The dude knows drama.

—Ansel Elgort: I'm not a playboy. I like to go on really nice dates... I go to nice dinners. I prefer being with a girlfriend longterm. I prefer to be with someone I can trust. I'm more into that. My mom is very romantic. As is my dad. They appreciate real romance. I like romanticizing romance. I think I could say this: If you like someone and the sex is really good and you enjoy spending time together, why wouldn't you make that person your girlfriend? Why go around dating random girls and having terrible sex when you can be with someone you really like? Source: www.elle.com

Ansel Elgort and his girlfriend Violetta Komyshan (his high-school sweetheart whom he started to date at LaGuardia High in 2012).